FEBRUARY 16, 2017 — The winter repair season is in full swing at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

Sixteen Great Lakes bulkers of various sizes are in the shipyard for winter repair: five1,000-foot bulk carriers, eight medium sized ships 600-700 feet long, and three tugs.

The scope of the repairs is wide and includes vessel repowering from steam propulsion to diesel; steel and piping repairs; bulkhead renewals; machinery inspection and repairs; exhaust scrubber installation; painting; and, regulatory inspections.

Customer expectations are high as work completion is expected to coincide with the start of shipping season on the Great Lakes.

Fincantieri says its shipbuilding and repair professionals are ready for the challenge. The recent three-acre expansion to the now 55-acre shipyard included new manufacturing buildings and additional computer-aided manufacturing equipment.

The shipyard is equipped with a 7,000-ton floating dry-dock and two graving docks along with lifting capacity able to meet the most demanding requirement.

"We have a very robust lineup of vessels that need to be ready to sail around mid-to-late March," says Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Vice President and General Manager, Todd Thayse. "Our workforce here at FBS is well prepared for this yearly challenge, as many of these seasoned professionals have more than 20-years experience; in fact, many have worked before on building some of the same vessels we now have in for repair. Our management team is focused on customer satisfaction, and we employ all of our assets on a 24-hour, 7-day week basis to ensure that we meet the critical deadline of each ship."

In addition to the heavy schedule of the winter Great Lakes fleet work, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding has six vessels under construction that will operate as articulated tug barge units (ATB) scheduled for deliveries in 2017 and 2018.

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Company is an operating division ofFincantieri Marine Group (FMG), the U.S. subsidiary of Trieste, Italy, headquartered global shipbuilding giant Fincantieri